Shortages of critical medicines in Europe

Priority question for written answer P-001924/2024
to the Commission
Rule 144
Bartosz Arłukowicz (PPE)

The shortage of critical medicines in the European market is a serious problem with implications for patient health and safety. Medicines used to treat chronic conditions, rare diseases and emergencies, such as oncological medicines and painkillers, are particularly hard to get hold of. This crisis was exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, which revealed supply gaps and a dependency on global production chains. The repercussions of a shortfall in key medicines could be catastrophic, ranging from treatment delays to a rise in patient deaths. In December 2023, the Commission published a list of 200 medicines that are critical in the EU. In view of the above:

• 1.After publishing the critical medicines list, what specific measures did the Commission take to combat the shortage of these medicines?
• 2.Since December 2023, in the case of which medicines and which Member States has the Commission noted shortfalls, and what measures have been taken to overcome them?
• 3.What action is it planning on taking in future to prevent any shortfalls in these medicines?

Submitted: 2.10.2024